Site Code
Country: United Kingdom
Central coordinates: 51.55000000o [51o 32' 59" North], -0.63333333o [0o 37' 59" West]
Administrative region: South East (Buckinghamshire)
Area: 382 ha
Altitude: 67 - 101
Site Description
Burnham Beeches is characterised by a diverse mixture of ancient woodland, wood pasture, coppice, ponds and streams, grassland, mire and heathland, the site’s most prominent features are the veteran beech and oak pollarded trees which provide a stable habitat for many rare and endangered deadwood species.
Burnham Beeches is an extensive area of ancient beech forest. The woodland's character has been developed through centuries of wood-pasture management and regular pollarding. Holly and sometimes yews grow in the shrublayer with associated oak wood pasture and small areas of hazel coppice. The site also contains dry and wet heathland, ponds, streams, grassland, valley mire and sphagnum bog.
Botanical Significance
Burnham Beeches is an extensive area of ancient Atlantic acidophilous beech forest with Holly Ilex and sometimes also Yews Taxus in the shrublayer with associated oak Quercus spp. wood pasture and small areas of hazel coppice. The site also contains dry and wet heathland, ponds, streams, grassland, valley mire and sphagnum bog. The woodland's character has been developed through centuries of wood-pasture management and regular pollarding. It also retains nationally important epiphytic communities, including the moss Zygodon forsteri.
Management guidance notes
Noted for bryophyte and habitat interest
Notes
None